Monday, October 31

Luke & Lily, not so sure Minnie Mouse is real happy. Maybe she wanted to be Robin!

Levi Jackson State Park, London, Kentucky!

The Harvest Party at the United Methodist Church on Saturday evening. Hawaii, complete with the beach. I went w/50lbs. of sand and came home with about 30lbs. Fun, fun, fun!!

I was next to the Malt Shoppe. They were giving away root beer floats. Awesome!!!

Mr. Harrison Triceratops was checking out Noah's Ark.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Think I will just share some Halloween Pics. Enjoy!!

Friday, October 28

The vulture with the red head is an adult, the dark ones are juveniles.

I have no idea how this ended up in our yard, what ever it is.

Molly and Maggie became very good playmates in a very short time.

We miss you Melody, glad you are so happy. Retirement looks good on you!

One month from today I will be in Hawaii preparing to meet out new little granddaughter. I'm getting excited especially since the weather is getting cooler. This morning I watched several of my favorite birds, turkey vultures, fighting over something really gross. Last night when Molly and I went for our walk we counted about 60 vultures roosting in the woods. Tonight there were none. I think it is about a week earlier than their usual migration but perhaps they were watching the weather channel and saw that snow was on the way!

We had a pleasant surprise this evening when we got a call from our friend Melody Kuhl. After retirement she headed south and has recently relocated near Charleston, South Carolina. She brought her new little Jack Russell puppy Maggie and she and Molly got along great. It was so much fun to watch the interaction between the two. Maggie was not intimidated at all. She seemed to think she was the same size as Molly. We wish Melody well and hope to get down to visit her in the near future.

Wednesday, October 26

My most recent painting of the stained glass from the front of our Methodist Church. This one is titled "Gethsemane".

I did this painting for Sara and Matt's wedding gift in 2006. It is "Christ, The Good Shepherd". I am having these made into note cards and they will be available at our church bazaar on November 5.

Feeling kind of lazy the last 2 days but I must say the weather yesterday was very nice. I did get some yard work done and re-cleaned the gutter at the back of the house. The maple tree doesn't have any leaves left so I think I'm safe. I mowed off the garden and cleaned out some of my flower beds so I'm feeling pretty ready for winter. On Monday, Molly, our dog had to go to the dentist. She had a chipped canine tooth. She ended up getting a root canal and had a crown put on the old dead tooth. Seems that she had damaged her teeth, probably as a puppy, from chewing on a cage bar. Other than the one bad tooth, the rest of her teeth are very healthy. Unfortunately, now I can't afford to get my own teeth cleaned!!

If anyone has any old, gently used coats, the Methodist church downtown is having a winter coat give away for the community. They ran out of coats today at the 2-3 pm give away. There is another on Saturday so you still have time to go through those closets. You can drop them off to me or at the church. Thanks. We are also having a Trunk or Treat this Saturday at 6 p.m. Bring the kids for a safe evening of trick or treat and a weiner roast and fun activities. And lastly our church bazaar is coming up on November 5th.

Saturday, October 22

Demonstrating how the native Americans would have one of their fastest runners put on a wolf skin to stampede the bison and run them over a cliff.

Luckily these 6 bison don't have to worry, they look to be pretty secure.

When I got up this morning and went out to fill the bird feeders I decided it was such a nice morning that I was going to head out to the Battelle Darby Metro Park for the Bison Walk they were having at 10 a.m. It was such a beautiful crisp autumn day it couldn't be wasted. About 50 people of all ages showed up for the nearly 2 mile walk out to the prairie to see the 6 female bison that now call the park home. The young park ranger was very informative and her presentation was very interesting. I decided to stop by Prairie Oaks on my way home and did part of the 2 mile Coneflower Trail. I saw some white-throated sparrows, lots of goldfinches and heard several woodpeckers. On part of the trail I saw deer and coyote tracks. It was a very enjoyable morning.

The prairie grasses at Prairie Oaks Metro Park.

When I got home I moved the small fish up to the larger pond. It is deeper and we can put a heater in it to keep it from freezing solid so the fish can survive. I also got all the windows closed in the barn. I still need to drain all the garden hoses and turn off the outside water before we get a hard freeze. Other than that I think we are about ready for winter.
Yesterday I took Molly to the vet because she has been scratching herself for the last 2 weeks. The doc still isn't sure why but she put her on benedryl and an antibiotic. The worst thing was that she noticed that Molly has chipped her top right canine tooth. So Monday we go to a doggie dentist and more than likely she will get a crown put on her tooth. Wonder how much that will set us back$?

Tuesday, October 18

The outlook at Chained Rock near Pineville, Ky. Lynn and I drove up here on Saturday before the induction ceremony.

Looking out over Pineville and route 25E.

On Sunday before I drove home, I stopped at Pineville State Park and hiked to the Rock Hotel.

Here it is, it reminded me of a smaller version of Ash Cave in the Hocking Hills.

It was a beautiful morning and very relaxing. Even though the thought of black bears did cross my mind as I was walking down towards the cave. And no I didn't have my bear bells or bear spray!

Finally getting rested up from my week end festivities in Tennessee. I should have been working a little harder to get things outside winterized because it looks like the weather is not going to be very nice for the rest of the week. The zoo wasn't very busy today. I spent 2 hours in the aviary and met a couple from Indianapolis and another from Pennsylvania. As I was leaving I helped out a group of adults that were visiting from South Carolina. They were so much fun I ended up walking them to the food court they were looking for and gave them a tour on the way. When we arrived, they offered to buy me a hot dog for lunch. It is experiences like these that make being a docent so much fun. When I got home Andy was busy getting the leaves blown into the creek. He has been working on them for the last week. He even got the old leaf blower working. He had to remove the carburator and clean the needle valve. I'm really proud that he was able to get that working and he felt pretty good about it too. Then he had to fix the tire because it went flat. He has been keeping pretty busy during the last few weeks which is really good for him. Especially since he got some pretty disappointing news last Tuesday. The school decided not to re-hire him for the basketball job this year. I just wish they would have let us know several months ago. This will be the first time in 36 years a Bichler has not coached one of the middle school basketball teams.

Saturday, October 15

The wall that houses the Hall of Fame plaques.

My plaque is in the lower right corner.

What do you think? I'm not sure but sure am proud to see my name there.

This is my plaque that I received at the induction ceremony. Glad my Zeta sisters were there to support me. I was pretty nervous.

My silent auction purchase. Now this is an exciting purchase!!

Today was a very special day for me. I was inducted into the Professional Hall of Fame at my alma mater, Lincoln Memorial University. I had been nominated last year for the Athlete's Hall of Fame but because I never played a college sport there they said I didn't qualify. (Guess it didn't matter that they didn't offer any sports for women at the time!) Any way, they suggested that the nomination be resubmitted for the Professional Hall of Fame and this year I was selected. I really owe a debt of gratitude to my sorority sisters of Zeta Tau Kappa for having the confidence in me to consider a nomination. Thank you Zetas, my room mate Joan Chrustowski and special thanks to Lynn Livesay and Wanda Eubank for spear heading the effort. I felt so humbled by the whole experience. It was just a really special week end. And as if the day couldn't get better, at the Alumni Banquet tonight I won the silent auction for a signed Pat Summitt basketball. That just topped off the entire week end. Tomorrow I head back north. I'm going to miss all the southern hospitality.

Friday, October 14

This Mill was at the entrance to the State Park and the path was lined with different sized grist wheels.

As I was leaving the Mill a school bus let out these high school student dressed in period costumes. I think they were having pictures taken.

When I hiked the night before the trail took me to two different pre-Civil War cemeteries with some very interesting head stones.

Yesterday I left about 8 am to head down to Tennessee for homecoming at my college, Lincoln Memorial University. I had decided that it might be fun to go down early and camp an extra night at one of the state parks in Kentucky and try to see some migrating birds. As I left the fog was pretty bad all the way until I got to I-70 and then once I got to Cincinnati it poured. It was not a great day to be driving. When I got near London, Kentucky the rain seemed to have stopped and the sun came out so I decided to stop at the Levi Jackson State Park and spend the night there. They had lots of trails and the campground was really nice. Well the rain came back while I was hiking and then again around 9 p.m. All in all it was a pretty wet night. I must say though I did enjoy myself but it would have been much nicer if it had been dry. Today I spent on campus meeting up with some sorority sisters, taking a tour of the campus and tonight I went to their Midnight Madness. Now I am getting ready to get a good nights sleep in a king size bed at the Sleep Inn. Good Night!

Monday, October 10

Checking out a tributary looking for some warblers.

Saw lots of these Great egrets, also Great blue herons, Belted kingfishers and bluebirds.

At the end of our trip we paddled out to catch a peek at the Scioto River. Along the bank I spotted several yellow-rumped warblers.

What a great day for a paddle. Loved it!

I hope everyone had the opportunity to get outside this weekend. It was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for the Saturday morning Birding By Kayak trip that I went on. We met at TAASC, The Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition at Twin Lakes. This facility accommodates persons with special needs so they can participate in outdoor activities. They provide adaptive equipment for kayaking, fishing and skiing for amputees, stroke and brain injury and children with autism as well as youth, scouting and school groups. They also do kayak rentals for groups such as the Columbus Audubon. There were 6 others that joined the group and we had a perfect morning for a paddle. The Twin Lakes area was beautiful and full of fall colors as well as some great birds.

Friday, October 7

These little guys are so much fun to watch. I just hope they stay out of our house!

I can remember as a kid this lake was a very busy place. Today I only saw one other boater and 2 fishermen at the 665 bridge.

No wind as you can see by the glassy surface, but it picked up a little by the time I headed back

The bike path as it crosses over Deer Creek. I should have turned around here but I kept going

Do I look tired? I was, a little but I felt great!

Today I decided to head over to Madison Lake with my kayak and enjoy the beautiful autumn day. I actually wanted to get ready for my birding by kayak trip that I'm taking tomorrow at Twin Lakes in Powell, Ohio with the Columbus Audubon. It may turn out to be an unwise move on my part because I may not be able to paddle tomorrow. It was so pretty when I got to the lake that I just kept paddling even when I got to Deer Creek I wanted to get to the next bend to see what was there. I followed several wood ducks for a long while and finally decided I better turn back. Paddling back was a little more difficult. First I was starting to get tired and the sun was shining directly in my eyes and the wind had changed directions and was blowing against me. However, knowing that I had no where to be I just took my time. I saw lots of double-crested cormorants and Great blue herons, several belted kingfishers, a hairy woodpecker and the wood ducks. There were also Canada geese, go figure, red-wing blackbirds, grackles, a song sparrow and I think I saw a Henslow sparrow. I heard a flicker woodpecker and a great crested flycatcher. Oh, and I saw 2 turtles and 2 fishermen. A very relaxing time.

As I write this I am watching some baby red squirrels that came out of their nest just a few days ago. They are so cute. They move so fast that I can't get a good count on how many there are but I think at least 4, maybe 5. Have a great week end everyone and Go Bucks!!